What Happens in Denver, Stays in Denver
by Lialor0001
Summary: A fanfiction about Daniel Cross, he needs more fanfiction. A story about what happened in Denver and why he doesn't want to go back there. Lucy and Warren Vidic makes an appearance later.
1. Chapter 1

What Happens in Denver, Stays in Denver

Part 1

2010 May 5

Location: Somewhere in the South Asia

The work of a field operative was different from that of a Tech Support or someone who worked behind the scenes. They were more like the traditional assassins, trained killers, expert in the art of blending and stealth. A young Assassin licked her finger and held it out to catch the wind. She sat with her sniper gun from an undisclosed location, waiting for the perfect wind and shot. People were cheering and celebrating below. The Assassin turned her ipod up to drawn out the distraction. Her target finally arrived after thirty minute; he was a small tyrannical man in a green military uniform, riding in a sleek black convertible car. He wore large shades that were too big for his chubby round face. The crowd let out an overly enthuse cheer as he passed by, he waved to them like a king to his subjects.

Closing one eye, she looked into the scope, focusing and counting down for the perfect shot. "Locked-On-Target." She pressed the trigger, her finger fighting against it, pushing it all the way and letting the bullet be released from the gun.

Five minutes was all she needed, the Assassin did not wait to see if she hit the target. She knew she did. She spoke into her mic for the first time. "Down the block in five minutes, be there."

Taking apart her gun, the girl went over to her guitar case. Snapping it open, she unbolted her empty guitar and put the pieces of the gun where they belonged. Closing it, the woman shut the case and clipped it shut. Slinging the case over her shoulder, the girl headed toward the door into the building. As she shut the door, the girl went down the steps quickly, when she hit the hallways; she ripped off her pants and shoved it into a trash bin nearby. Underneath, she wore a pair of cut off demine shorts. Disappearing into the emergency stairs, she took off her jacket and converted it into a purple one by turning it inside out. Pulling off her hair band, the girl let her long black lock fall over her shoulders.

The Assassin walked out into the alley, applying lip-gloss with her free hand. Making her way to the designated location, she spotted three policemen hovering around. People were panicking and running around, hiding her presence from them. Frowning, the woman took a different direction away from the location. She quickly text her comrades about the change, due to her eastern Asian appearance, she easily blended in with the locals.

Strolling down a couple blocks, the Assassin pretended to text on her phone. In truth, the text consisted of nothing but x's and o's. Her comrades were doubling around to pick her up, in front of her; a pregnant woman wearing a scarf around her head seemed to be having trouble walking. She gave a soft cry, toppling over.

"Watch out!" The Assassin jumped toward her and caught her before she hit the ground.

"Thank you," The woman spoke in a husky voice, putting a cold blade at her savior's neck. "Why don't we go somewhere nice and quiet?"

"Of course," The Assassin grinned sweetly. "If that's what you want." Discreetly, she activated her mic hidden in her ear.. "Where would you like to go?"

She followed him to an abandon warehouse; he now had a gun pressed to her temple. The man shoved her into the building. The Assassin fell forward, grabbing a discarded brick; she whirled around and smashed it into his face. Distracted, she charged at him and kicked him backward. Gripping the rock once more, she proceeded to beat him down. Suddenly someone grabbed her from behind. Screaming, she tried to buck him off in vain. Reaching in front of her shirt, she pulled out a Bowie knife. Twisting it around in her hand, she stabbed the man's stomach. He cried out in pain and released her abruptly. Taking the opportunity, the Assassin jumped on him, stabbing him multiple times. Blood splattered on her shirt and face. A group of assailants burst into the building as she finished off her attacker. Slowly standing up, covered in blood, she held the knife defiantly in her hand. "Who wants to go first?"

An hour later, the Assassin limped out of the building, bleeding yet still alive. Her wrist throbbed in pain from swinging and hitting her opponents with a car jack. They were Templars, she regretted nothing by brutally killing them but it bothered her as to how they knew her assassination plans. For months, she and her companions planned it meticulously. There were no paper trails and only a handful knew of it. The Assassin wiped her bloody knife on her sleeve, at this point she didn't care how dirty she appeared.

In front of her stood three armed men, all guns aimed at her. For a second, the Assassin could only stand and await death bravely until a van plow over the three. She blinked, not believing what just happened.

The van's door slide opened, a man held his hand out to her. "Jesus Christ! You look like shit." The Assassin smiled wanly at him, fighting the urge to throttle him. She climbed into the car.

"I need a medic…or a bandage if any of you have one?" She crumbled on the ground, bleeding on the carpet.

"Damn!" The driver glanced back at her, eyes wide in shock. "Girl, what in the hell happened to you?"

"We lost contact of you, hold still Jill" A red-headed woman put a cloth over her wounds. "Templar?"

"You tell me," Jill mumbled to Dwayne the driver, she looked at Piper. "Templars…one of them lured me here…shit…" She started to lose consciousness.

"Hey," Toby came to her side with medical supplies in his hands. "Hey! Look at me, look at me Jill."

* * *

_Denver, Colorado a week later…_

Daniel studied her files, a picture of a somber girl with braids, taken at sixteen. Her eyes were cold and serious. Her real name was "Jill" Juliana Yoona. MaceaEAchthighearna but she went by Jill Kim, her Korean grandmother's maiden name. Daniel's eyes hurt just staring at her last name; he wasn't even going to try saying it out loud, it was something long and Irish. She was 5'3" in height and weight 108 pounds, slender of build and her blood type was O-. No medical conditions, relatively healthy, non-smoker and a donor. Daniel skimmed over the rest of her records, stopping at her family history and records of successful missions and targets. The granddaughter of a high ranking Assassin, James T. MaceaEAchthighearna (Deceased) and an elementary school teacher from Korea, Mina Kim (Deceased). Mother (Deceased) was another distinguished Assassin of the eastern sec; father an unknown North Korean Templar. Raising a brow, Daniel found the fact interesting. Other relatives listed one uncle, two great-uncles, their locations were unknown. According to her records, she was sent out at a young age into the field. Working as a carrier and spy in Mumbai and then to France, afterwards sent to Shanghai for an extensive period of training and back to the States in her late teen.

Daniel watched her on the reflection of his phone; she wore a pink sling and dressed casually in a plaid purple shirt, shorts and green convers. Hair pushed to the side in a messy braid. Light bruises covered one side of her face, a small cut on bottom lip. In spite of her battle wounds, he thought her rather pretty. A shame really, he had to bring her in. He wondered about her level of skills in a close combat situation, her files indicated that most of her kills were from long range shots. Yet the first attempt at bringing her in showed she possessed a relatively high degree of fighting skills. He only counted a handful of Assassins that he really had trouble. By how she dispose of the Templars who were sent after her, he could tell she was going to be a handful but then again the girl never met him before. Daniel closed his eyes; he needed his medications before the voices started again. He couldn't focus on capturing anyone if they started up again. He might stab his prey again and that would be annoying.

* * *

Jill closed her eyes; she needed more medication but refrained from taking any drugs. Normally she avoided anything to do with medication or drugs; she hated them and shunned them like the plague. But right now, the pain overruled her principle. So she took two pain killers and that was it. Maybe when she got home, she could make some of her grandmother's natural tonic. It saddened her to know that when she arrived home, there would be no one to greet her. In her imagination, she felt the sunlight, smelled the scent of the farm and heard the cows mooing in the pastors. The images of her grandfather playing the violin on the porch and her grandmother cooking in the kitchen and of course their dog, Joe Jack.

Daniel noticed a smile appeared on his target's lips, a pure happy smile. He wondered what she was dreaming of. Most of her family members were dead according to the files and she lived alone on a farm. The records told of no spouse, boyfriend and few close friends. Daniel laid his head back, maybe she was dreaming of her past, of her dead family…he envied her; at least she had a family to remember. He had no one really; he blew it with everyone and hurt everything he came into contact with. His foster parents, his supposed brethren, Kelly and Hannah and what's to stop him from losing his mind again and leaving the Templars. The voices will come again and when they do, no one was safe from him.

* * *

Her grandfather used to lift her up high in the sky; he said he would never let her go to the camps. He would train her himself and show her the ropes to the family business. Since her mother died, her grandfather became more protective of her upbringing. As much as he devoted himself to upholding the Creed, he did not entirely agree with some of the teaching methods. He especially did not agree with William Miles. She saw him once when they tried to take her away, her grandfather would not allow it. He had a son, a boy a few years or so older than her. William believed Desmond would be able to entice her into going to the camps, he assured her that she could be with children like herself. At the time, she was seven years old and did not like the way William Miles talked to her grandfather, so she shoved his son down. Of course Desmond got back up to strike her but she knocked him down again.

"She ain't going anywhere with you Bill, there no one else better to teach her than myself. Now I am going to ask you politely to get gone." James put a proud hand over his granddaughter's head.

Jill worshipped her grandfather; he stood his ground, in the end they left without her. She could still see him now; his faded blonde hair, stern face and wearing his favorite plaid blue shirt and jeans. Her grandmother once joked that he slept and worked in plaid and blue jeans only.

After landing, Jill made her way to the parking lot where she left her truck, a green 1965 ford. It belonged to her grandfather; they went all over the country and even to Canada and Mexico in that truck. Tossing her bags into the back, Jill climbed into it. She hated the smell of cigarettes but kept a pack in the car, sometimes when she missed her grandfather, she would light one or two.

Daniel never seen such an ugly truck in his life, he wondered how many mileages the bucket had. He followed at a safe distance. They drove for a while until he started to see pastures and spaced out houses. Perfect, he thought to himself. It meant no one would hear the struggle, easy as pie. Daniel saw her curved into a house, parking in the trees, he double around and parked at a secluded area in the trees. From there he trudged up the back forest to her house stealthily.

Jill stopped her truck in the front of the house and left her bags in the car. She went up to the front porch; some of the steps were broken. Jill frowned; she really needed to start taking better care of the farm. Her grandfather would turn in his grave if he saw the way she neglected it. The front door proved to be a little difficult to push in. She spent a small portion of her childhood in this house with her grandparents when her mom dropped her off a few months after her birth. Truthfully, she hesitated to come back to a place filled with such happy memories. Her uncle had kept it for her; he told her everyone needed a place to return to when the world got too hard. For years he encouraged her to come back, at eighteen she finally came back home. She kept most of the bedroom closed off and slept in the guest room. Her and her grandparent's rooms were like time capsules, nothing changed in them. She wanted to keep them as they were, untouched.

"I am surprise you are not haunting me granddaddy, I'm letting your house fall to pieces." Jill dropped her keys on a table. She lived in a two story farmhouse built by one of her pioneer ancestors. It had a basement, a parlor, foyer and even an attic. Her grandfather added a sun room in the back. The house had a total of four rooms and two bathrooms.

Jill went straight to the kitchen, opened the snack cabinet first. Taking almost everything from mars bars to Kit Kats to the living room and laying them out on the coffee table. Pulling off her braid, Jill kicked off her shoes and went upstairs.

Daniel sat up on a tree branch with a pair of binoculars; he watched her move from her living room up to the second story. Getting up, he jumped to another tree to get a better view of what she was doing. She went from one room to another, switching on both lights. In the bathroom, she stood over a white bathtub, one of the old fashion ones. Daniel knew what she was about to do and he didn't mind at all. His job was hard enough, he wasn't being pervy, and it just happened his target was an attractive young woman about to take a bath. She stripped out of her clothes, he didn't look away. There were traces if a little tan lines, he guessed she recently return from somewhere sunny. Nice slim body, butt dimples, perky breast…nothing pervy just an observation.

Jill held her hand up as she settled into the bath; she shut her eyes and sank into the much needed bath. Etta James played soothingly in the background, "All I Can Do Was Cry ". It was a perfect end to a strange mission, it still bother her about the Templars.

The memories came rushing back to Daniel, so sharp he fell off the branch, hitting the ground hard. Anna…Anna sitting in the tub, her belly round and heavy with child, protruding out of the water like an island. He stood in the doorway, watching her with adoring eyes. He loved her dearly, more than words can ever say.

"No…no…not now…go away grandfather…go." Daniel groaned in pain, he needed to get away. It would not do if he lost control of himself. A person usually ended up dead when he lost control, the girl wasn't supposed to die yet. He whither on the floor for a good, attempting to fight off the voices from the past.

Jill pulled on her favorite blue sweater with the big red hearts and a pair of comfy fuzzy panda shorts. She danced down the stairs singing "You Me Feel like a Natural Woman," she flicked her locks around vigorously. She threw herself on the couch, careful not to hurt her wrist. Switching off the stereo with her remote, Jill put on the recorded episodes of "Breaking Bad", she missed while away.

Daniel crawled away, babbling in Russian as he got up and stumbled blindly toward his car. By the time he dragged himself in the car, semi-wet dirt covered his clothes. The stench of animal feces filled his car.

"Fucking bitch!" Shit covered his leg up to his waist, Daniel groaned in annoyance. "Shit all over my new shoes."

* * *

#

The barn needed to be repainted, the house also, the door knobs should have been changed ages ago, the gutters cleared out and the steps were a safety hazard. Jill mentally went over list of things to do, most of it she could manage on her own but another hand would be a great help. Sighing, she turned her truck into a medium size brick red building. It doubled as a coffee/bakery and bookstore. Jill went in though the back door, the smell of bake goods filled her nostrils. On one of the table, a tray of fresh chocolate chip cookies were cooling, going over to it, Jill swiped one.

"I would not eat that," Dwayne came into the kitchen, wiping his dirty hands on his apron. "It's one of Toby's new recipes, don't eat it. "

"Oh come on Dwayne, you liked the last experiment." Toby ambled in behind him with a tray of muffins.

"Yeah and I was in the hospital for three days." Replied with sass, he winked at Jill, who wisely put the cookie back.

"Come on Jill, just try it," Toby pleaded with her, giving her his big puppy eyes. "You might like it."

"Sorry Baby but I just got out of the hospital," Jill grabbed for one of his muffin though. "I don't want to go back."

She left the two bickering and went over to the book side of the store. Piper stood at the front register, reading her latest romance novel.

"What is it this time?" Jill bit into her delicious blue berry muffin. "Scottish lair? Or sexy pirate?"

"Neither," Piper held up the book to her fellow friend and co-worker. "Assassins, look at this sexy best." In the cover book, a sexy man was wearing only a white hood and a skirt looking covering around his waist. His abs was exposed and his arms were nothing but cords and muscles.

"Assassin Lovers," Jill read the cover and flipped it around to read the summary. "Alter is a stone cold Assassin with a sexy hot body to counter his coldness." Snorting, Jill had to put the book down for a moment. "He is a top Assassin in his guild and grandmaster's protégée, next in line to take over his brotherhood at only the tender age of 25." A giggled escaped Jill's lips; she stared at Piper and wiped away the tears. "Can he be any more perfect…But Altar has a weakness, he lusted after a certain someone…Piper here comes the sexy part? Alter is secretly in love with his childhood rival, Maliki, who hates him. Maliki blames Alter for a failed mission that cost him the loss of one of arm and his brother. Will Alter and Maliki be able to get pass their tragedies or will their passionate love be doom to fail."

The two girls chuckled for a couple of minutes. "It's so good though, you should really give the series a try. It's my new guilty pleasure."

"Yeah…ah nope." Jill gave her the book back. "I will just stick to my mystery novels and comics."

The girls shared a couple more laughs and went about their work. Jill went into the back to deal with some of the new inventors. Daniel parked his car across the street from the bookstore; he sat in a diner, occasionally staring out toward the store. All he saw was the cashier girl, a mildly attractive red head. He felt refreshed today after taking his medications, right now he intended to follow her for the next few days, get a feel of her routine. Assassins born into the lifestyle were harder to capture, most were trained from a very young age. He recalled seeing a little girl once, a tiny thing lugging around a sniper case and wearing a rifle on her back during his visits to one of the camps.

Suddenly the image of a young blonde boy with a knife in his hand appeared in Daniel's head. Grasping his coffee mug tightly, Daniel tried to banish the thought from his head.

"Are you okay mister?" The young waitress asked him as she came to refill his cup.

"Mind your God damn business," Daniel barked at her, sending her scurrying away. Ten minutes passed before he got himself together. Dropping more money than he owed, Daniel stalked out of the diner.

* * *

#

Jill walked through the empty halls of Denver University, the summer usually left most of the halls of the school empty. The history department was especially empty, devoid of any form of life. The office of the head of the department was hidden way in the back of the building, mainly to hide from the students, the dean once joked to her.

Jill entered slowly, the professor, a man in his late fifties hunched over a large thick book, hardly noticing her presence. Smiling, Jill put the box of pastries she had been carrying aside. Silently as a ninja would, she took a pen from a table nearby. One shot kill, Jill sneaked up behind him. Smack. A sharp pain stung her cheek, Jill squealed and jumped back.

"If you intended to kill me, you have failed," The professor spoke in his monotone voice, his gaze never leaving the book. He hit her with a fly swatter without turning around. "But then again, you failed the moment you choose me as your target."

"That is why you are the master and I am the student," Jill said to him in a good humor tine.

"I heard your grandmother recovered rather nicely," the professor whirled his chair around to face her.

"Yes, the operation went as planned, except for the storm cloud that occurred afterwards." Jill replied, her mouth twisting into a frown. "I am still puzzled as to how? The forecast said bright and sunny."

"I see and you are certain that no one outside of your family knew of your grandmother's operation?" The professor inquired deeper into the situation. "I find that troubling but I shall ask the doctors to be more discreet with their patient's confidentiality next time."

"I brought you some truffles by the way," Jill retrieved the box from where she set it. "Chocolate and cherries specially made for you from "Romeo and Juliet", the best bakery in Colorado."

"Set it by the table with all the books." He instructed her, returning back to his book. "I am going on an expedition to Rome next month; I would really like it if you join me."

Jill smiled wanly. "Maybe, I want to take it easy for a while." She touched her sprained wrist. "My house is in shamble."

"Think about the offer, Rome is lovely this time of the year." He told her, flipping through the page of his books.

"It is also hot and the last time I went there, I came back with a broken leg and was severely sunburned." Jill laughed and went over to place a little peck on his cheek. "But I will consider it…maybe."

"Your memories of Rome and mine are very different." The professor said to her thoughtfully.

Jill headed toward the door. "That's because you were inside most of the time." She recalled dodging bullets under the city sewers. "Goodbye Professor."

"Goodbye dear, think about it."

* * *

#

Daniel learned from the red headed cashier that Jill was out on break and would be working the whole night. He flirted his way to get the information by mainly talking about the red head's schedule. He drove up to her house, to survey the surrounding and examine the house. Going up to the porch, he nearly lost his leg in the broken step. "Shit! This place is falling apart."

Daniel peered in through the window, studying the interior for the purpose of sneaking in at some time or another. He circled the house, searching for easy access into it, spotting three windows that were perfect for climbing in with ease.

"Who are you?" Daniel whirled around to find Jill staring at him curiously. Shit! Shit! Stab her; no…I can't stab her.

To his surprise, she smiled at him. "You must be the handyman, Paul told me that you would call or come by today or tomorrow."

"Paul…?" Daniel muttered stupidly to her, his heart rate beating too fast. "Paul sent me, yeah Paul sent me."

"I'm glad, he said you might not take the job because of some family issues," Jill strolled over to him and held out her hand. "I am Jill Kim, nice to meet you."

"Nick Daniels," He said to her gruffly but soften his tone. "Yeah…he mentioned something about maintenance on the house, I was coming to see you and talk about what needs to be done."

"Well, as you can see." Jill gestured up at the paint on the house, the whites were peeling. "It needs a new coat and the barn needs a new coat of paint also. And I have some other things around the place that needs fixing, let me show you around."

Daniel thought about kidnaping her right there but decided against it. She stated to him that she needed to get back to work, which meant someone would miss her if she disappeared now.

"So are we good for tomorrow morning?" Jill asked him as they walked to his car.

"Yeah, we are good for tomorrow," Daniel replied to her, he held his hand out to her to shake good bye. "I will bring my tools." Ropes and duct tape.

"Good, I will have the paint." Jill grinned again.

Daniel noticed the light dimples in her cheeks when she smiled. He was a little attractive to her. She had a cute face, a slime figure and dark locks with a few strands of purple in them. Although she maybe a little too young but so was Anna. Daniel blinked, what in the hell was he thinking?

"Are you alright?" Jill inquired of him when his expression unexpectedly became troubled.

"Yeah, I got to go now." Daniel got into his truck and drove off quickly.

Jill watched the man leave, her stayed on his car until he disappeared from view. Crossing her arms, she suddenly felt chilly, holding her hand up, she saw it was trembling. Balling it up in a tight fist, she wielded it to stop.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The rain brought sadness and sorrow; it brought long forgotten memories from her childhood. Sometimes she could see the ghosts in her kitchen, her grandmother cooking at the stove, her grandfather showing a three year old Jill how to take a part a hand gun at the kitchen table. Her grandmother would turn around and chastise her husband, telling him to put away the weapons and help set the table. Three year old child would hop off her grandfather's leg and scurry over to the dishes to help her grandfather set up.

Jill drank deep from her coffee cup as she leaned up against the counter. The only sound that in the kitchen was the ticking of the ancient grandfather clock. She should turn on some music, the quietness made her restless. Maybe she should buy a cat or two or better yet a dog, something to fill up the loneliness of being in this house. No…that wouldn't do, she wasn't home long enough to take care of anyone. Jill set her cup in the sink, she headed toward the basement. The lights flicked a little when she flipped the switch on. "Jesus, does everything need to be look at."

* * *

There were two tool box, one red and the other black. She went to the red one first, opening it, she felt around for the special click. "Nope, not this one." Pushing it to the side, she opened the second one and found the click after rummaging through it for a moment. Pulling the top off, Jill found the guns where her grandfather had left them. Checking them thoroughly, she put the top back and slides the black box back into the bottom shelf. Going to the back of the basement, she moved around some boxes to reveal two old washing machines in the back. Jill pulled them apart to expose a hidden door in the floor. Taking out a key from her pocket, she unlocked the metal lock and undid the chains. A musky smell filled her nostrils as she threw opened the door. Using her phone, Jill descended down the stairs into the darkness.

Searching for the lights, Jill nearly fell over her own two feet. She finally found the lights after stumbling around the darkness for a good while. Her grandfather collected guns from as far back as the civil war era, Winchester to Maverick. Jill walked through the shelves of guns, making sure all was accounted for. She passed by a glass case with the uniform of a British soldier encase in it. It belonged to someone in the family, a man name, Elliot T. Martin. A sniper, his rifle lay next to the uniform with his dog tag. Her grandfather often told her they had a colorful family but have been Irish Americans for a couple of decades and now they were Irish, Korean, and American.

_"We've got a lot of history Baby Girl, it a good thing too. It means you have all the history and all the knowledge of the different people before you." Her grandfather once told her._

Jill covered up the door again; grabbing the red tool box, she headed upstairs. As she placed the box on the ground, a knock came at the door. Going over to it, Jill opened the door with a ready smile.

"Good morning, how are you?" Jill beamed brightly to somber face Daniel. He gave her a curt nod; she brushed it off and led him to the steps. "As you can see, these steps are rather." Jill pushed her foot on one of the creakily board. "They are a little dangerous."

The two started working on the steps in silence; Daniel stared at her wrist for a moment, still wrapped up tightly but said nothing. They loosen up the nails on the board and tore them out to put new ones in. He watched Jill struggled with only one hand, he saw her drop the board to her hip. Daniel caught it before it fell down. "Careful." His eyes fell to her wrist again and after a moment he had to ask her about her injuries. "So what happened to you?"

"I fell down a flight of stairs," Jill laughed sheepishly, placing her hand accidently over his. "Oh…sorry." Daniel let her remove her hand quickly, not saying a word. "Landed on my hand and sprained my wrist." She pointed to her cheek. "Screwed up my face in the process also, but that what you get for texting and walking down a flight of dangerous stairs."

"Did it hurt?" A small smile appeared on Daniel's face, the girl did have a certain charm. He might have believed her if he didn't already know the truth behind her wounds. _Texting my ass, she didn't seem like the type to get distracted by texting. Butchering Templars more like it._

"Nope, I am a lot tougher than I look." She gave him a wink, one side of her lips curved up into a half grin. "So you do smile, I'm glad. I was starting to think you were one of those tough guys who never crack a smile."

"Sorry…I am…not really good with people." Daniel chuckled, he liked her honesty. It was refreshing compare to the people he usually interacted with. "I can be rude…antisocial."

"Me either," Jill nodded in in empathy. "I can be rather honest and blunt."

She observed him silently as the two worked on the hammering. His features were very sharp, the pointiness of his chin made Jill think of the devil. Dark bags hung under his eyes, probably from lack of sleep and there was a grey cast to his shallow skin. She could neither say he was attractive or unattractive, she would venture to guess his age somewhere in his thirties. The ear rings he wore gave him a thuggish appeal.

A ringing in the kitchen caught the two's attention, Jill got up and wiped her hands on her pants. "That's my pie; I will be back in a moment."

Daniel hammered a nail into the wood; slowly he got up to stretch his nearly numb limps. This was his chance while she appeared distracted. Clutching his hammer, he crept into the house. He heard her working in the kitchen, the sink being turned on. The layout of the hallway changed in front of his eyes. Oh shit…the worst time for him to go back in time, he could hear the singing of his wife. Walking toward the kitchen door, Daniel gently pushed it aside. Anna had her back turned to him, she stood at the sink.

"Hey, sorry I got distracted." Jill glanced back at him apologetically, breaking the illusion.

"I'm sorry…" Daniel blinked, realizing he returned to his own time. Jill rotated around to face him; she pulled out a large knife from the sink.

"Do you want some pie?" She went over to the window causally. "It's apple, my specialty."

Daniel didn't refuse her; he sat at the kitchen table as Jill cut him a piece. An Assassin with a knife was a dangerous thing, especially since he only had a hammer.

"Fork? Or would you rather eat with your hammer?" Jill teased him playfully.

Daniel put the hammer down next to his plate sheepishly and accepted a piece. He started to eat, trying not to stare too much at her knife. The thought of the knife impaled in his body made him a little uneasy. But the pie was surprisingly really good.

"Good?" Jill smiled brightly, setting the knife next to her own plate. "Would you like some coffee?"

"Sure, the pie is really good." Daniel nodded to her; his eyes watched her get up and turn her back to him.

Now was his….Jill whirled back around, holding a hot coffeepot. Daniel sat back down abruptly, he wasn't crazy enough to attack an Assassin with a knife, attacking one holding hot liquid was suicide and just stupid. Most likely she would aim for his eyes, the last time he thought he would never recover.

"Decaf or regular?" Jill asked him, lifting the pot up and down. She had a way about tilting her head, he thought it was cute.

"Regular," He told her, grinning to Jill. She played the part of a quirky civilian well; the girl fooled him for a moment. One would have never guessed a killer lurk behind those welcoming eyes of her.

"Good, we only have regular anyway," Jill poured him a cup and gave it to him. She sat across from him again. "So, where do you come from? Are you a resident of Denver?"

"Me…No…I mean I have family here but this is my first time here…in a while." Daniel tried not to pause too much. _Hit her! No Daniel…don't act crazy…she needs to be kept alive…stay calm. No need to stab or kill anyone…stay calm buddy…_ "That a nice cross." He pointed at a large cross hanging next to the wall; silver Roman Catholic cross. Similar to ones he once saw in Russia.

"That's my grandmother's, she was raised in a Catholic funded orphanage by German nuns." Jill took a sip from her coffee thoughtfully; her grandmother broke her vow to marry her grandfather.

"Do you speak German?" Daniel asked her, trying to gain her trust and actually a little curious.

"Ja, Ich spreche deutsch," Jill responded to him. "My grandmother taught it to me as a child. I can speak it decently in a conversation and understand it."

Daniel observed her for a moment discreetly; she stirred her coffee in a circular motion, slowly in a controlled manner. He had no idea why he thought the motion of something so trivial would fascinate him so much.

"I speak Russian," Daniel said to her suddenly.

"Oh really," Jill lean in on the table. "How did you learn?"

"I have spent some time in Russia on a job…building stuff." Daniel offered up to her, which wasn't a lie. "And I have some Russian in me."

After a few moments of idle conversation, the two returned to fixing up the steps. Daniel couldn't but feel proud of his work. "It looks good doesn't it?"

"Yep, sure does." Jill put her foot up one of the step. The board flipped over under the weight of her footing, Jill lost her balance. Daniel caught her by the waist before she fell over completely.

"I guess that one was loose." Daniel tested out the other steps with his outstretched foot. "Everything else seems okay."

"No surprise I stepped on the bad one," Jill pulled out from his arms; she tried the top ones with her foot. "The top ones are secure, just that one." They worked together to nail in the loose board, afterward they both sat on it.

The day was still early, the weather hot yet not too hot. Their eyes follow the same direction up the dirt road, in the distance they could see a little of the road. Occasionally a car or two would pass by. Both of them wanted to say something yet neither desired to break the comfortable silence.

"You have a nice place here, it really peaceful." Daniel finally spoke first, he meant it. This place was made for someone or people to come back to, it was meant for a family. He sighed a little, the same old longing came back again…family…home…a real home and family.

"Yeah…it a nice place to come back to when you been away for too long." Jill found herself saying, in spite of the memories, this place did offer her some comfort. "Maybe someday…" A family will inhabit the place again and make it a home. Maybe a family of three or four…sometimes her uncle would return home after a long journey to make the family a foursome. They were Assassins, yes, but they were also a close nit family and supported and loved each other greatly.

Her grandmother carried the patience of a saint or maybe she loved her family enough to accept the family as they were, Assassins. After all, she loved her grandfather enough to forsake the church to follow him to a foreign land. Her grandmother told her she did not love her grandfather in the beginning, he fell through the roof of the church one day. Bleeding and injured badly, she could do nothing but help him.

They were young then, she often joked about whether or not he was an angel or a devil. Back in his earlier days, her grandfather once had golden blonde hair and was rather attractive. Time and time again, he would drop him in on her for years to come after that, she dreaded the visits at first. His world scared her and she did not understand why he kept coming back to her church. Every time he returned to her, he was bleeding or in some sort of trouble and she beard his antics. After a while, he wore her down and she started to tolerate his random appearances. They slowly developed a friendship, her cold politeness gradually changed to sympathy for his plight. In the end, he told her his reasons for returning back to the church so frequently. It was because he found her pureness and honesty nature calming, it made his life easier to have her around him. Her grandmother told her that it took a lot for her to marry her grandfather.

Sometimes Jill wondered if she regretted her decision, knowing about her grandfather's history. Jill never questioned her grandfather, she never questioned who or what she wanted to do with her life and he never pressured her to make a choice. He told her anytime during her training even though she was a child that she could be normal anytime she wanted to. In the beginning it was to train her to defend herself because of her family history but as time went by, although it was unspoken, he began to teach her for the family business. But her grandmother wasn't born an Assassin nor did she show any interest of desiring to be one. How did she really feel about it? How did she really feel about the lifestyle she married into? How does she love someone so different from her? None of these thoughts ever occurred to her as a child, she saw only her grandfather's view and a devoted grandmother.

"Someday what?" Daniel pulled out a pack of cigarrate, he glance at her for a moment. "Do you mind?"

Jill was about to say yes but she saw they were her grandfather's brand. Her grandfather smoked a strange brand; truthfully she thought he was the only one. She grew up seeing the odd symbol of an eagle with its wings spread out on the carton. "Go ahead…"

"You were saying?" Daniel lit up the tip of the cigarrate, he saw her watch him puff on it. "Something wrong?"

"No…no…I was saying," Jill averted her gaze, wrapping her arms around her legs; she rested her chin on them. "Nothing…I forgot."

"Do you have any family," Jill asked him, knowing she was being too curious. "I mean…I know you have family here but are you married? Kids?"

"Nope, no wife or kids." Daniel flicked some of the ashes to the side. He would be a terrible father and husband. It seemed being a terrible father ran in his veins. "You?"

"No, I would be a terrible mother and wife." Jill laughed; she would be like her…mother.

Daniel rolled up his sleeve, Jill's smile slipped off her face. On his fore arms were old needle marks. Catching her eyes, Daniel unrolled his sleeve quickly but the damaged was already done. He could see her face change, the softness disappeared. "Yeah…some stuff from my past…I am not really proud of them."

"Just remember I had to do something," Jill stood up abruptly, frowning she opened her mouth and closed it. "I have to be at work for something, let's call it quits for today."

Daniel stood silently for a moment. "Sure…tomorrow?"

"No…tomorrow isn't good for me, I have work." Jill wiped her hands on her shorts even though they were not dirty. "I will call you… I mean the day after tomorrow…in the morning, same time." She attempted a half smile.

* * *

Daniel drove away, he switch on the radio and switch it off again. He fiddled with his rear view mirror; he finally stopped outside a bar about twenty minutes down the road. Suddenly he started to hit the steering wheel. Why did she have to see his markings? Now she wasn't going to see him anymore?

It bothered him, the look in her eyes, her frown. He didn't know why but it bothered him, he felt ashamed almost. Daniel slumped back in his seat and ran a hand over his face. _Why…why do I even care what a kid thinks of me? Why does this baby assassin have such an effect on me? Because she was different from the others, different from Kelly. Kelly always thought she could save him with her love and he would change for her. But it wasn't enough for him, she didn't understand. The truth was, she didn't want him to change for her, she wanted to be the one who saved him and changed him. He couldn't even save himself, how did she expect to? _

_Hannah…she stayed by his side, took care of him and defended him. Why? She hardly knew him; he never understood why she wanted to help him so much. She hardly knew him at all and she put herself out on the line for him, jeopardizing all her brotherhood. _

_Dr. Sung, the good doctor. Always kind and helpful, giving him her compassion and sympathy. She might have helped him the most but it was her profession. Deep inside, he knew she had other motives for helping him._

_They all wanted to help him; they all wanted to change him. Each believing they could save him in some way or another or fix him. But there were no sympathy in Jill's eyes; she seemed uncomfortable upon seeing his arm. A part of him wished he hadn't showed her the proof of his weakness. She was right in judging him unlike the rest._

* * *

Jill knew she should not have sent him away so abruptly but seeing his arm brought back old memories. Her mother died of an overdose when she was three, a shock really, no one would have guessed it. Growing up, she rarely saw her mother at all; her mother gave birth to her and left her with her grandparents. Only visiting her once or twice a year, at first Jill didn't understand why until the truth of the situation came out after her death. It broke her heart to find out the reason why her mother could never love her. Jill went into her grandfather's room and sat at her grandmother's old vanity. An old crystal perfume stood out among the neatly align cosmetics. The bottle belonged to her mother, a relic left behind after her mother went away to train at a camp at eighteen.

Jill picked it up and sprayed a little on her wrist, she liked the calming scent of peony. Smelling the scent sometimes made her feel closer to her absent mother. Putting it back down, Jill decided to go to the bookstore; she needed something to get her mind off of things.

* * *

Daniel lay on the ground, very drunk after going through too much vodka, he blamed his grandfather. It was always his fault, coming in and out at the worst time, running his life. The cold ass bastard, he hated him like no one in the world. "Go away! Go away old man!"

Boris decided had enough with the troublemaker, for the last hour, the stranger had been unsuccessfully propositioning women left and right. Any women, young and old, unattractive and attractive until he fell over on his face even then it didn't stop him for groping everyone who passed by.

"Boris!" The door opened and Jill stood carrying a pink box of cupcakes. "How are you?"

"Well, if it isn't little Jill, how are you Angel?" Boris grinned widely, coming around the counter to hug the petite girl in his grizzle arms. "How the school? Out for the summer?"

Boris went to her grandmother's church; he used to give her treats when her grandmother would take her. He also coached her soccer team at camp one summer. The two talked for a moment before Daniel started blabbing again about his grandfather. Jill looked surprise for a moment and realized he was drunk off his ass.

"That stranger has been babbling for quite some time now, been groping anyone that passes by too. Everyone. No discrimination." Boris slung his drying cloth over his shoulder and hitched up his pants. "Excuse me Angel; I have to take care of this." He took two steps but Jill stopped him.

"Let me Boris, he's…a friend of mine." Boris raised his bushy brow in surprise; Jill grinned sheepishly and strode toward Daniel.

Daniel rattled off in Russian as she approached him. "Hey buddy, are you okay." She knelt down in front of him. "Let me help you." She had no idea what to do with him yet she couldn't possible leave him. At first he resisted her in Russian but silently let her help him up. He clung to her like a child to a mother while ice skating for the first time.

"What are you going to do with him?" Boris came over to her, trying to help her steady the man.

"I guess take to him home, wherever that is…" At the moment, Daniel's stomach lurched violently and he vomited. Warm liquid mixed with bits of food spilled over Jill's chest, dripping down to her stomach and legs. Jill's face was in shock, a sickly sweet smell filled her nostrils. Daniel grabbed her shoulders firmly for a second; he stared at her for a moment and then collapsed into her chest, pressing his vomit into her. "Jesus Christ…Oh God…"

"Are you okay sweetheart, do you need any help?" Boris said to her, trying to keep a straight face.

"Yeah, no…I got this," Jill smiled wanly and slung Daniel's arm over her shoulder. "Don't worry…I got him."

* * *

In the car, Jill attempted to question Daniel in vain about his living situation. He kept talking to her in Russian, going in and out of consciousness. Jill understood a little Russian; she trained with a Russian operative during her stay in China. One of the best shooter she ever encounter, she still thought her skill outmatched his.

Daniel ran through the bushes, he stopped suddenly and started to climb up a large tree. His hands were cold but he persisted to go as high as he could, he needed a good place to conceal himself from his father. Up here in the tree was the perfect to attack his father, maybe this time he would win. His father, who he loved and revered above everyone else, he knew it in his heart he would one day kill him. Stepping on a weak branch, Daniel lost his footing and fell backward and down to the ground below him.

Daniel eyes snapped open; he twisted to his side and gagged on Jill's lap. She threw up on arm to block him in vain. The puke covered her arm and pooled in her lap. And as if that was not enough, Daniel's head fell into her lap.

"Really...Really...Jesus…What am I doing?" Jill sighed to herself; this was her first time taking a man home from the bar. Her teammates would be proud if they knew.

Jill dragged Daniel into her house, only to have him puke on her front carpet. "You are not going to make it easy for me tonight."

Jill saw no other option but to throw him in the shower to hose him off with the detachable faucet. She kept her gaze mainly on his chest, using a back scrubber to clean him. His smell was too much for her to leave him dirty on her couch. At first it seemed he would freak out, he started talking in Russian again.

Jill spoke to him in in Russian, using the few words she knew to sooth him. Telling him to calm down and be peaceful. Daniel finally became docile after hearing her voice; he called her Anna several times. Jill hauled a half-naked Daniel onto her couch and covered him with a thick blanket.

By the time she hopped in the shower, she was exhausted. She needed a new carpet and she smelled like cleaning product, she almost bleached her car to get the gunk out. Jill cleansed her skin furiously; he threw up on her twice. A small laugh suddenly burst out, she shakes her head in disbelief at her decision to bring him home. "You have completely lost your mind."

The next morning Daniel woke up, he found himself in an unfamiliar territory, which wasn't the first time for him. "Oh God, you blacked out again." Looking down, he saw he wore no clothes_. Did I go home with someone last night?_

"So you are awake," Jill walked into the room, carrying his freshly laundry clothes.

Daniel stared at the girl, his mind still groggily from the alcohol. It registered to him who she was after a moment. "Jill…Kim…" He looked around the room, this was her living room. "How did I get here? Did we?" Daniel cocked an eye brow. "We didn't…"

"No we did not," Jill laughed as she crossed over to him. "I stopped by to see a friend at the local bar down the road and you were there, drunk and lying on the ground."

Daniel had the decency to appear sheepish as he accepted his clothes. "Being the concern employer that I was, I decided to try and take you home but you were too far gone. So I brought you back."

"Sorry for causing you trouble," Daniel stood up, the blanket fell off. Jill averted her gaze, a grin pulling at her lips. "Shit! Sorry…" He gabbed for the blanket.

"I will be in the kitchen, come in when you are finish." Jill said to him, she turned to walk away.

Daniel quickly put on his clothes; he needed to get it together. No doubt Lucy or Warren would be calling him soon, he was lagging too much. Today, the mission would be done today.


	3. Chapter 3

Part 3

Daniel's breakfast smiled back at him, two small pancakes and a large one arranged on his plate to look like a mouse or bear? There were two chocolate syrup eyes, a glob of cream in the middle with two chocolate curves shaped like a mouth on it. Around the face, she cut heart shaped bananas and strawberries.

"Is something wrong?" Jill asked him, noticing his expression.

"No…I just never had my breakfast smile back at me before," Daniel smirked; he couldn't remember the last time someone made him breakfast. It was nice and normal. "You are pretty talented."

"Thank you," Jill beamed; she sat down across from him. He wasn't what she expected, in spite of his hard exterior. He seemed a little funny instead of hard and cold.

Daniel developed a crush on her. _Fucking perfect, this is just fucking perfect_. He shoved the food into his mouth. He didn't want to take her in today…maybe tomorrow or at least until he finished painting her house. Somehow he found logic in that notion.

"I didn't say anything embarrassing or do anything embarrassing?" Daniel asked her in between bites.

"No," Jill laughed a little. "Other than throw up on me and in my car." Daniel's ears went bright red. "Sorry, I had to hose you off last night. You smelled really bad and there was vomit all over you."

"I don't mind at all, it not every day a guy gets a shower from a pretty girl." Daniel replied to her. "I am just sorry you had to see me like that." He offered up no excuses and she didn't ask him for any.

"Would you like some coffee to go with that?" Jill got up from her seat and headed toward the counter.

"Sure," Daniel liked the way she looked, hair pulled to the side in a loose braid, shorts and a pink sweater. His eyes lingered on her backside and slender legs.

"So are you up for painting today?" Jill glanced back at him, catching his stare.

"Yeah, I'm up…I'm up for anything," Daniel averted his gaze.

Jill painted in straight lines, they were perfect and exact while Daniels were often uneven. They stood a few feet apart yet he could feel as if she were next to him. It was nice, painting and doing what normal people did. She gave him a comforting feeling; there was no dangerous business, no trying to fix him or giving him medications. The ghosts in his head actually left him alone in her presence.

"Your arm," Jill pointed her paint brush at him. "Your arm has paint on it."

"Fuck shit," Daniel accidently brushed his arm on the wet paint. "Son of a bitch!"

Jill started giggling; she put her paint brush down. "Here let me take your jacket, I have some stuff that will take the paint off"

They took a break and sat under a large oak tree, Daniel stared at Jill for a moment. "You saw the markings on my arms."

"What you did in your past is your own thing," Jill gazed toward nothing in particular. "We all have our own demons, it's not up to anyone to save us or keep us in check. We can do it ourselves." She stood up and brushed away the dirt. "Come on, we have work to do."

They finished painting the house and the barn after that. For the next several days, they worked on fixing up the house. For the first time in his life, the voices stopped bothering him completely; Kenya no longer tried to escape. It was Jill…Daniel quietly observed her peeling apples for a pie, they were both in the kitchen. The skin came off with ease as she twisted the apple round and around. She kept the ghosts at bay; it was her that calmed him. Daniel wished they met under different circumstances; he might have had a chance to be something to her. If only he hadn't killed the mentor, their paths might have eventually crossed. Daniel longed to extend his hand out to her but knew she would not, could not ever accept him if she knew the truth. They played on opposite teams.

"Here," Jill stretched the newly shaved apple toward him.

"I can't…" Daniel stood up abruptly, he needed to leave. "I have to go…I have to…" Jill frowned but said nothing. "I have to go…" No explanation, Daniel whirled around toward the door.

"Wait," Jill called out to him softly. "Will you come back tomorrow?"

Daniel paused; he didn't look back at her because he would say "yes". Jill watched him clinched his hands and released them. "No…I don't know if I can…"

"I see…" Jill wanted to stop him; she couldn't let him leave like this. "Your pay-"

"Consider all the times you cooked for me payment," Daniel stormed out of the room; he couldn't bear to near her any longer.

Jill put the knife and apple down; she wondered what was on his mind. He appeared normal for the most part, up until now. She let him go, knowing that he would come back. He had to come back.

* * *

"Not now Kenya…" Two days passed since Daniel left Jill, his phone ranged constantly. Lucy called continuously on his progress, so did Dr. Sung. "Leave me alone." He hardly slept or ate, Kenya came back and so did the others. The voices in his head…why can't they leave him alone…he hated them. He saw them live their lives, make their own decisions, love…marry…it wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that he could have any of that…he couldn't have what he wanted.

Daniel summoned Jill's face, the smile that seemed to take so much effort for her. He saw right through her, the way she attempted so hard to be happier than she was. At first glance, one would not be able to tell she was fighting something but upon closer inspection, something darker hide under her gentle expression. Maybe it was because he experienced so much pain in his life? Or that he knew darkness well? But he could recognize another broken soul. The voices calmed in his head, they became quieter. He wanted to go back to her, back to the farm.

* * *

The ticking of the clock gave her a sense of calmness, so did taking apart a gun. Her grandfather used to sit at the kitchen table with her and show her the different pieces inside a gun. They even made a game out of it; the first to finish got to pick their next trip.

_"Done!" Jill screamed happily, the first time she beat her grandfather. "I win!"_

_ "So you did, you are getting good." Her grandfather told her proudly. "You are just like your old grandpa."_

_ "Yep, I'm going to be like you some day." Jill declared to him, she hopped over to his lap. "I want to go with you to Canada, can I go?"_

_ "Of course you can Baby Girl, but we have to ask your grandma first." Her grandfather patted her head affectionately. _

_ "Okay," Jill smiled up at him, excited to be going up north._

Daniel Crossed caused the death of her grandfather and killed the mentor. She trained all her life to kill him one day, for her grandfather and her brotherhood, she will avenge them. Without her grandfather's guidance, she was lost for a while but the thought of finding Daniel Cross brought her back, it gave her a new meaning. When she first met him, she didn't know how much of an impact he would have on her life. Her grandfather had taken her to a camp with him; he was training some new recruits and promised to take her out on the shooting range. Daniel Cross and a woman came to the camp that day; it didn't mean a thing to her until later. Her memories of his face was vague, truthfully she hardly paid attention to him. She recalled a young clean shaven man, wearing a white jacket. Bright blonde hair, somber blue eyes and very sharp features…

* * *

Canada 1999 May

William waited outside for his son, this was the first time he took Desmond anywhere on a trip with him. It was brief but necessary for him to bring Desmond to the training camp up in Canada for a few days and he had business in Canada. Some mysterious man named Daniel Cross was coming to the compound to speak. He found the man's story fascinating; he seemed to have certain knowledge of the Order that only a few high ranking Assassins knew about. It would be interesting to see what he had to say. A green truck pulled up into the camp, William Miles watched as James MaceaEAchthighearna got out of the truck. The two nodded at each other respectfully. MaceaEAchthighearna's granddaughter hopped out of the truck a moment later, William had the opportunity to observe the girl on several occasions. She was a bright girl, obedient yet curious. The girl possessed the same drive and talent the MaceaEAchthighearna clan was known for; she would make a fine field operative someday when she grew up. Admittedly, he was disappointed that Desmond lacked many of the skills to make an Assassin. He often wondered where he went wrong with Desmond; the boy came from a long line of accomplished Assassins. It should be genetic or something. He didn't understand him; maybe the reasons were that he hardly spent any time with the boy. It was too late for him to be a father now; he often wondered if he had any business in having a child. He certainly didn't have the skills or time for such activities.

Jill carried her rifle and lugged her grandfather's sniper case out of the trunk. Her grandfather came around to her. "You need help Baby Girl?"

"Nope, I got it," She lifted the case off the ground.

"Okay than, I am going over to talk to Bill. You go on ahead now to the shooting range, I'll meet you in a bit." He told her as he walked toward William Miles.

Jill grabbed the case with both her hands; it proved harder to carry than she thought. Suddenly a car pulled up, a sleek black van. She watched two individuals come out of the car but soon turned her attention away from them. When she glanced back at them, a blond man stood staring at her. He wore a frown on his lips; he tilted his head to the side to speak to the other person, a young woman. She said something back to him and he averted his attention away from her. Jill didn't think much of the two and went about her way.

* * *

Present time…

"Come on Jill," In spite of her protest, Toby dragged Jill up to the stage. It was karaoke night at Romeo and Juliet. College students and the locals filled up the shop. "Ladies and Gentlemen, here is a talented lady. Jill Kim. Let's give her a round of applause." Jill gave him a death glare; she looked to her friends for help. Dwayne and Piper only smile at her. "Jill Kim, singing "To Build a Home" by the The Cinematic Orchestra." Jill sat in the hot seat; it made her extremely uncomfortable to sing in front of so many people. Toby started playing the piano softly, Jill took a nervous breathe; glancing at the faces, she opened her mouth. Her voice came out shakily but gradually became smoother:

** "There is a house built out of stone**  
**Wooden floors, walls and window sills**  
**Tables and chairs worn by all of the dust**  
**This is a place where I don't feel alone**  
**This is a place where I feel at home…"**

Daniel observed Jill from the back; she really did have a nice voice. Welcoming and enticing, it drew him in. By this point, his infatuation with her had increase even more. Her expressions were soulful and sad; he could feel the deep emotions in her voice. It needed to be tonight, he needed to take her in for his own sanity.

** "Out in the garden where we planted the seeds**  
**There is a tree as old as me**  
**Branches were sewn by the color of green**  
**Ground had arose and passed its knees"**

Jill was distracting him, she scared him a little…no… she scared him a lot. Her presence disrupted his routine, his life in general. Daniel already decided to accept his place in Abstergo. Not only that but she was an Assassin, he can't imagine what she would think if she knew who he really was.

** "By the cracks of the skin I climbed to the top**  
**I climbed the tree to see the world**  
**when the gusts came around to blow me down**  
**Held on as tightly as you held onto me**  
**Held on as tightly as you held onto me..."**

Jill paused for a moment as Tobey speeded up the tempo, closing her eyes she bob her head from side to side and started up once more:

** "And I built a home for you, for me. Until it disappeared from me, from you**  
**And now, it's time to leave and turn to dust..."**

After she finished, she saunter over to a table to talk to some of her friends, as if she sensed his presence, Jill turn to see him. Pausing for only a moment, she grinned at him and started toward him.

"Who do you think that is?" Tobey asked the two others, all eyes followed after Jill. "I have never seen him before."

"Beats me," Piper spoke with curiosity. "Do you think it's a boyfriend?"

"When has she ever made time for a boyfriend," Tobey snorted. She turned him down a couple of times in the past.

"He kind of looks like a…" Piper noticed the blonde stranger had a piercing on his brow and wore earrings. "Thug…maybe he's just someone she knows."

"Guys, whatever Jill does in her personal time is her own business," Dwayne interjected the two. "It's not our business."

"Has anyone ever told you that you are a bad gossip," Toby laughed, he could see the curiosity in Dwayne's eyes. "Hell who am I kidding; I'm going to ask her later." Dwayne recanted after a moment, he wanted to know.

"Hey…I didn't think I would see you again," Jill said to him casually, trying not to spook him.

"Yeah…I was walking around and I came in," Daniel wished he thought of a better lie. "I'm not taking you from your friends am I?" His eyes strayed to the trio; they grinned and waved at the two.

"No…not at all," Jill glared at them and they quickly pretended to mind their own business. "I…Ummm…" She didn't expect to see him; she didn't know what to say.

"You want to go outside? For some air?" Daniel asked her without thinking.

"Yeah…sure," Jill grinned brightly, Daniel liked the way her dimples showed when she smiled. "Let me get my sweater, wait here."

"Who's the blonde?" Tobey asked when Jill returned for her sweater.

"A friend, he's doing some work for me around the house," Jill replied at him simply, she grabbed her sweater.

"Where you two going?" Dwayne piled another question on her.

"Why are you guys so gossipy tonight?" Jill smirked at the three of them. "It's nothing; we are just going to talk about the farm."

"Come on guys, leave her alone." Piper chimed in, Jill gave her an appreciated gaze. "It's no big deal."

"We're just messing with ya," Dwayne gave her an affectionate squeeze. "Don't stay out too late."

"I won't," Jill hugged him back; she gave Dwayne a light kiss on the cheek. Nodded to Tobey and squeezed Piper quickly. "See you guys later."

"You know this is the longest time Jill has stayed in one place, not counting that time she got back from Rome with a broken leg." Tobey commented to Dwayne.

"Jill doesn't like to stay still," Piper sat down and stir her coffee. Jill took all her class online just so she could be on the road. "She is a free spirit."

"Maybe it's a good thing, she needs a break. I am always afraid she might collapse from exhaustion or burn out one of these days." Dwayne stared after his friend.

"It's different for people born into the lifestyle," The one thing Tobey and Jill had in common. "You go where you are needed; there is no other way of life." Tobey felt bad for Jill sometimes but he understood her need to keep moving. Growing up in the Order could be daunting and most of the time lonesome. Not only that but he knew her story, he knew her lost. He too lost someone important to him during the purge.

* * *

It was a breezy night, the weather just perfect for walking under the starlight sky.

"Romantic…just fucking romantic…" Daniel mumbled under his breathe.

"What did you say?" Jill threw him a puzzled glance. "Did you say something?"

"Naw…no…just nothing," Daniel stuttered sheepishly. "It feels nice outside, that's all." They were alone; there was no one in sight. He could take her away right now and it would be all over for him…for them.

"Yeah, I like this kind of weather." Jill took off her sweater; she wore a white lace dress underneath. It fell just an inch above her knees, fitted with a slightly puffy skirt. Her hair was braided on her head into a romantic hair do. Whatever an Assassin looked like, she didn't look like one. He was on edge; she could see it in his motions and feel it in his voice. Jill wanted to calm him, make him comfortable.

They walked in silence until they came to a fountain, the two sat down by a bench. Daniel tapped his foot nervously; he stole quick glances at Jill. He wasn't good at this sort of thing, spending time with a girl, no sex or mission involved. The only women he ever spent time with were recruits or women working at Abstergo. And only then, it was only sex. Women in the office found him attractive because he was the suppose Abstergo hero. The one to kill the mentor and nearly take down the Order.

Jill tried to think of something to say, she hardly interacted with people outside of her field. Her only real companions were her teammates and the other various Assassins she met during missions. Maybe she should ask about why he left so abruptly or was it too awkward? She had to say something right? Maybe they didn't need to say anything?

Daniel pondered to himself. She didn't seem like the type who would be bothered if they just sat next to each other silently. Or was she? Was he being too creepy or weird by not saying anything?

"You sing good…" Daniel frown_, did he really just say she sing good_? "What I mean is that you sing very well."

Jill smiled a little, he actually broke the ice. "Thank you, I don't really like being on stage." She stared down at her feet. "It makes me nervous…all those eyes."

"You were really good," Daniel replied quietly. "I like the way you look when you sing…" He trailed off.

"So you have traveled a lot? Russia sounds interesting," Jill groped for another subject. "What did you do there?"

"Building...construction work," Daniel answered quickly, he already prepared in case she asked him about work. She asked him more about Russia and how he liked it.

"So where are you staying now?" Somewhere during the conversation, the two had subtly drifted closer together. Daniel's foot stood barely an inch away from her.

"Now?" Daniel stared at her for a moment. "A Motel 66 by the road, it's shit but cheap as hell. Pardon my language."

"It really is," Instead of looking appalled, Jill only chuckled. "Last time I stayed in one, I hardly slept. There were weird stains on the sheets; I ended up taking a nap in the tub." Her knee knocked into his innocently. "It was terrible."

"I've been in worst motels, one time there was not even a bed in my room." Daniel's arm brushed hers. "I take it you know a little bit about traveling and bad hotels."

"I have done my fair share of traveling," Jill replied coyly. "But I bet not as much or as exciting as your adventures."

_I bet_, Daniel thought to himself. She sure knew how to play innocent. Her travel history was equally as extensive as his. He wagered she had been in many shitty hotels before.

"You know, you could stay at my place for a while, "Jill offered to him, surprising both of them. She tried to play it off coolly." I mean it would be easier for you to work on the house and that way…I could pay you half in lodging."

"No…" Daniel said to her flatly. It was a bad idea to be so close to her, even if he wanted to be near her.

"Why not? It's a reasonable idea and you are working for me," Jill continued in a practical manner. "Besides, it's better than stain sheets and you get to sleep in a bed."

"I wouldn't want to…you know…intrude on your time and take advantage of your kindness." Daniel fought the temptation. "And…I don't trust your judgment."

"What?" Jill blinked in surprise. "What does that mean?"

"You know…we haven't known each other long. I could be a killer or a drug dealer for all you know," Daniel said to her with a half-smirk. "Then what?"

"You could," Jill replied thoughtfully, suddenly she grinned impishly. "But what are the chances that we are both killers. I could be all sugar on the outside and a demon on the inside."

Daniel shuck his head in disbelief, she could be so adorable devious. Maybe it wasn't a bad idea; he would be closer to her. They would be alone, in a big house by themselves out in the country. It was perfect really if he really thought about it. He needed to capture her soon, Lucy was constantly on his ass and so was Warren. "I'll think about."

"That sounds good," Jill stood up and held her hand out to him. "Will you walk me to my car?"

Daniel reached out to take her hand, he was certain she would be his downfall one day.

* * *

Jill went into her grandfather's old study. Walking over to his book shelf, she brought down a thick leather bound book. The title read: A Collection of Tolkien's Greatest Works. Her grandfather made a hobby of collecting great classics, Tolkien was one of them. The book was hollow though, Jill took out the revolver from inside the book. There were no bullets in the cylinder. She spun it, thinking about the first time she ever killed a man. Her grandmother died a year after her grandfather died cancer. She never knew how sick her grandmother had been, she wished she could go back and have treated her better. When she found out about her grandfather's death, she withdrew into herself. Jill wished she spent more time being good to her grandmother.

William Miles spirited her away after the funeral; he sent her out into the field early. Her uncle could not take care of her; he was deep under cover and could not be pulled out. She went to a camp in Mumbai for a while and was assigned to one of the poorest slums in the city. The base in Mumbai provided bureaus and safe houses for their trainees but they were encouraged to assimilate themselves into the locals. What she learned about the human condition was something she could never learn in a classroom or at the camp. At first, she was scared and alone. She felt abandon by everyone yet she didn't cry once. All her tears were spent after her grandmother died.

The adjustment proved difficult at first due to her foreign appearance and the fact that her communication was not often clear. But she proved herself among the street kids with her toughness and resourcefulness. Jill learned to adapt and pick pocket, she developed the ability to lie and cheat others easily. She experienced fear, poverty, hungry and oppression first hand. On her first day in the streets, she saw a man steal a bag of rice. He was a thin figure, barely able to outrun the police. In the end, they caught and beat him down, a young child ran to stop them, calling out father. The police shoved the girl child away and hauled the skinny man off. Her second week, she found a girl beaten to death by her pimp. A month into her stay and a grocer's shop was ravage by thugs. It affected her greatly; it even made her distrustful of the Order. But the superiors she reported to for missions told her that things took time, they could not save everyone at once, there were too many.

Jill made friends with two young girls about her age. They were sisters, both exceptionally bright but born into a poor caste. Their parents had been farmers, working on someone else's land until they were kicked out. Their father died of a fever and their mother remarried. The girls were thrown out into the streets because their new step-father did not want to provide for them. Nadia was the elder sister and Jill's age, Indira was the younger by two years. The three became inseparable and shared an alleyway. Nadia taught Jill how to survive on the streets, in turn Jill taught the two how to write and English. They would often triple team tourist together.

One day, Jill left the girl for a few days to do a run for the Assassin base in Mumbai. When she returned, she found the two girls gone. No one would tell her where they went, until she finally had to blackmail and manipulate the people around her to get the answers. For three days, she asked around and coerced the people in the slums for answers. Finally someone told her about "The Prince". The Prince was the name of the man, who basically owned the slums where Jill, Nadia and Indira lived. He was a known pedophile, sex trafficker and drug kingpin around the area. Everyone was afraid of him; he liked to prowl the streets for young girls. In spite of the danger, Nadia tracked the girls down to an old abandon warehouse.

One of the street kids told her that he saw The Prince bring two girls into the building a few nights earlier. Jill found her friends, brutally beaten and raped. She managed to save Indira, who was holding on for dear life but Nadia died from internal bleeding. Anger and grief, Jill never forgave herself for not being there. It wasn't fair, the girls were innocent. The police of course did nothing; they didn't care for two girls of no account. As her remaining friend recover in the hospital, Jill plotted vengeance. She didn't ask for help from the Order, she felt this was something she had to do on her own and she didn't want them to stop her. For months, she waited and stalked her prey. Jill followed him and memorized his schedule and the layout of his homes.

The moment came on the night of The Prince's birthday. Jill rolled the cylinder again and held the gun up to her ear. The memories of that night flowed back vividly; she wore red lipstick for the first and last time that night. And a bright red dress, too tight and short for a young girl in her preteen, she hardly had breast yet at that age. She convinced the guards that she was a gift from a rival group, a group that was sometimes on friendly terms with the The Prince. At the moment, they were on friendly terms. She figured if anything went wrong, it would be blame on the equally corrupt rival. Jill bribed her way into the party, she never been so scared and tense in her but she managed to entice the sick bastard into his private chamber.

Once she got him to put his guard down, she stabbed him to death. It took all of her control not to go to town with him, she gave him only three fatal stab wounds. Jill put the gun down and gaze at her reflection in the mirror. Sometimes she could still feel the blood on her body. She had stripped down to distract him; afterwards she washed the blood off in his shower. Jill took no joy in killing; in fact she vomited in the bathroom. But didn't regret her actions, it was justice and partially revenge for her. No one was going to do anything about his the so-called authorities, the way she saw it, she did the world a favor. When she finished cleaning up the mess, Jill escaped out the window.

She hadn't gone far when she was knocked out. Later, she found herself back at the bureau. Her superiors were furious at her but Jill argued that what she did was what the Order had been doing for centuries, fight oppression. In spite of her fear, she stood her ground. They were all older and more experience than herself, she apologized for taking such a risk but she didn't back down for her actions.

Finally they left her alone with the head of the base in Mumbai. An older high ranking Assassin, his name was Adam Carter but everyone else called him, The Professor. Jill met him when she first arrived but he barely spoke to her until Jill's first assassination.

"You are a tough girl aren't you?" The Professor said to her in a not unkind tone. "You understand that you nearly got yourself killed." Still Jill didn't respond to him. "You may think we are cold but we care about our younglings. The future of this Order relies on the next generation. Every one of you matter to the Brotherhood."

Jill recalled being incredible nervous than, he was a man revered and respected by many of the members of the Order in Mumbai. He looked like a college professor, dressed in a blazer and sweater vest. She didn't know how to answer him at first.

"Cat got your tongue? You were very vocal a moment ago," The Professor walked over to the window. "I have to admit, although you broke the rules by acting on your own. Your ability to execute such a bold plan at such a young age and with your resources…is rather impressive. It was very clever."

Jill stayed silent; she believed her plan was flawed in many ways. At any time she could have been caught and killed. What got her through was her determination, attention to details, luck and the notion that no one would ever suspect a girl and a kid to be capable of such a plan. Her courage nearly failed her many times but she pushed the fear out of her mind.

"What will happen to me now? Will you send me back out into the streets? Or home?" Jill found herself asking him quietly.

"Neither," The Professor responded, he put his hands behind his back. Jill bit her bottom lip, would they actually kill her? "I'm being relocated to France, when I leave next week. You will be accompanying me."

"What? Really?" Jill gawked at him in shock; she didn't know what to think. "Why?"

"I will be taking over your training from now on," The Professor said to her as if it was nothing. "In spite of your recklessness and age, the others decided that you have a lot of potentials."

Jill could feel the tears coming. "I-I…thank you, I understand that I have acted recklessly and will try to be more cautious in the future."

The Professor chuckled. "I noticed you didn't say that you won't do it ever again." Jill flushed in embarrassment. "You remind me of another time Jill, the Order has changed greatly." His lips fell into a wan smile. "For the time being, you are not to leave the safety of the bureau. The man you killed had some power; the Order must tie up some loose ends." Jill bowed her head in shame. "Also, you are to see the counselor. It is important that you don't become completely De-sensitized and cold. Run along now child, I have much to do."

Jill spent her final week making preparation for the well-being of Indira. She felt compel to do something about her plight. Her grandfather knew that he or her grandmother could die at any time, so he set up a trust fund, along with some careful investments to help support Jill in case of emergency. Even Assassins had life insurance. Her uncle, being her legal guardian made sure she was able to access her accounts whenever she wanted to. So she used the money to find a safe place for Indira. Jill put the gun back into the book. She and Indira still write and talked once a month, the last they spoke, Indira was still studying medicine in England. The experienced changed her; she would be lying if she said she adjusted well after her first assassination. The regular visit to the therapist helped a lot. Jill place the book back in it's original space, she picked out another book, Alice in Wonderland. her grandfather used to read a chapter to her every night when she was a little girl. Rereading it always made her feel better.


End file.
